Friendship
by Paradise Kiss
Summary: Regardless of what Ran and gang may see, Harue is MORE than a cold cynic and smart-mouthed fighter.


My first Gals and likely last Gals fanfiction! I felt that these two characters just needed a bit more exposure, and I've always sensed a bit more going on under the surface. This will be VERY short. I actually wrote a longer history of the childhood of these two characters, but it became too long and didn't fit with my initial aim for this story, so I removed the entire subplot. I might edit it a bit and post it as a prequel to this story, someday.  
  
The characters in this fanfic are Honda Mami and her best friend, Harue. If you're not familiar with the names, Mami is the comedic big-haired blonde kogal that is Ran's number one rival, and Yuuya's eventaul girlfriend. Harue is her constant companion, the kogal with short, dark hair and usually a scowl on her face. =)  
  
Please note that I am much more familiar with the manga, having read all the volumes, then the anime, which I've only seen a couple episodes of. I don't think that'll really pertain to this story anyway, but just a disclosure.  
  
Reviews are MUCH appreciated!  
  
*Paradise Kiss  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"Friendship"  
  
  
  
  
She's yelling again. Loudly.   
  
I watch her run off, waving her arms and snapping insults at her target with blinding speed.   
  
Yelling...with all the yelling she did, I'd expect to be tired of hearing it by now.  
  
I'm not.  
  
I still remember a time when she didn't yell..didn't laugh, didn't cry, hardly even spoke.   
  
I remember these things, because I was a part of her life then.   
  
Like I'm a part of it now.   
  
It almost makes me gloat, looking at Kotobuki and her two lackeys, seeing them act for all the world like they have a bond stronger than blood. They haven't even known each other more than a couple years. Laughable, isn't it?  
  
Hearing a warbled cry, I look up in time to catch Kotobuki fall flat on her face with a thud..and watch, amused, as she peels herself off the pavement, the snowcone she'd been holding moments before now displayed across the front of her shirt. Mami stood off to the side, her head thrown back in laughter, her left brow twitching in that odd little way it always did when she laughed.  
  
It's a different Mami before me now..different, but yet exactly the same. I still remember her exact expression that day we first met. Blank. Void. All throughout her first year at our school, she didn't speak, wouldn't speak.  
  
But she..we..got past that. Since she opened up to me, that one day, that one day when she spoke for the first time, and we discovered we were the two sane people in a world gone mad, in a world that seemed to always be against us. Since fourth grade, she and I. Friends. Companions.   
  
Friends.  
  
She'd changed so much. They look at her now, and I know what they see, or what they think they see. A stubborn, loud-mouthed, selfish girl. They see Kotobuki. They don't see Mami. They don't know how long it took for her to become like this. They don't see her abruptness and persistance as improvements.   
  
But I see it. I look at Mami now and I see her living life, a talkative bundle of energy who's learned to laugh again.   
  
We threw ourselves into being 'gals', always joking about our 'territory', making references to old yakuza and samurai movies and literally laughing ourselves silly on the street, before slipping back into our cool, authoritive roles. Everyone thought we took it all seriously. Everyone took US seriously. And indeed, we could be...intimidating when we wanted. But if only they saw us alone together. When we weren't the number-one gals in Tokyo, but just regular Mami and Harue. Classmates. Best friends.  
  
That first chance meeting with Kotobuki during last summer had been eventful. I still remember Mami's initial anger when Ran bumped into her-Mami had already been a little moody that day-and then both of us getting flustered by Kotobuki's flippant remarks. Completely confident and unconcerned, that girl. Crazy. Cocky. Infuriating. Refreshing.  
  
The self-proclaimed queen of Shibuya, and our first actual, worthy rival. We had our similarities..Kotobuki and Mami, Kotobuki and I..and the battling begun. We held all the contempt in the world for each other, yet had no real hard feelings. Sometimes I..we...got so caught up in the reckless spirit of it all, we forgot it was really nothing more than a game. I didn't hate Kotobuki, or her followers. Not at all. Nor did Mami.  
  
We went too far, sometimes...got a little too angry, became a little too petty. I remember that time shortly after we'd first met Kotobuki, when I was shocked to find out her good-girl best friend, Miyu, was the former badass gang leader of the 'Resistance' group. Who was she to parade around with that air of superiority and innocence? I got so carried away, and completely lost my head, spreading the news of her past around her school and pulling a knife on her, something she'd once been known for..well, mine was fake, but it didn't matter. She wasn't amused. Kotobuki was fuming. And Mami..I won't forget her expression when she ran up with Kotobuki. Surprised. Dissapointed. Pissed. She let me have it then, definitely, and I felt so silly and childish and..cruel. Also somehow..happy. Honda Mami, who talks big and fights hard, completely wigging when it comes to someone, even someone she swears to hate, being threatened. She never wished harm on anyone. She never took things to that level of severity.   
  
I respected her for it. It was one more reason I had for loving her.  
  
Yes, loving her.   
  
I think of that incident over and over, and how it showed how much Mami has grown. Gone are the days when Mami's only protection was me. We're not in grade school anymore..I don't have to face off with her bullies. She does it on her own now..hell, she does it better than I ever did. She fights back, for herself now..and even for me.  
  
I'm not needed as much as I used to be.  
  
  
A sudden burst of laughter rang from Mami, causing me to look up. Kotobuki's face was beet red, wearing Mami's jacket, which Mami must have just lent her to cover up the snowcone stain. It was about two sizes too small. Aya tried vainly to calm Kotobuki down..the others just stood off to the side, muffling their laughter desperately. Mami glanced my way and our eyes met. She smiled.  
  
  
But I'm still just as wanted.  
  
I've never once doubted that. I don't doubt it even now, as Yuuya walks up to the group and Mami runs to him, clutching his arm and talking his ear off, her face flushed and excited. I was skeptical at first, of course. I figured she was doing it out of spite, to at least claim "#2" when "#1" was so apparently smitten with Kotobuki. Or maybe that's just what I'd tried to tell myself. The thing is..that's not quite true.   
  
I look at her expression now, as she giggles at something Yuuya says, and it's like finding another of Mami's strengths, her good points, her improvements, all over again. I revel in her happiness.   
  
I know her true feelings.  
  
She glances back at me, and walks over to my side. Her hand reaches out to me, and I accept it, climbing to my feet.   
  
She knows mine as well.  
  
I can't help but smile at her..and then, remembering those around us, I quickly clear my throat. The trademark grimace slips back into place. Mami smirks and turns back to Yuuya, her hand gently squeezing mine before dropping it.  
  
Kotobuki runs over to Yuuya, whispering something into his ear with a sneaky grin on her face, and he blushes. Mami blinks, opening her mouth to say something but Kotobuki smacks her on the back and runs off, dragging Aya and Miyu with her. I get the hint.  
  
I turn to follow them, knowing Mami is likely panicking at the moment..but also knowing that in a few seconds, she'll be fine. I sneak one last glance at her before rounding the corner, just to see her smile. She's in good hands, the girl I love, the girl I've always loved. But regardless of what happens, now or in the future, she'll always have me.  
  
And that's what friendship is really for.  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
That's it! I said it was short.  
Hopefully no one will write me or leave reviews saying "ewww"..if that happens, I'll probably refrain from posting any new fanfics here. I'd hope that most readers are intelligent and open-minded enough to accept a story like this *without* such a reaction. Hate this story because it sucks, but don't hate it because it depicts a girl's feelings for another.  
Mami is my favorite character in Gals, by the way, and I love how Harue is *always* with her no matter what =). So I wrote this story mainly for me. Wee!  
My next fanfics will be Chapter 5 of the Peach Girl fanfic "Circle of Trust", and a new fic I'm working on for Full Moon wo Sagashite. I'm still quite new to the world of fanfiction writing, and I realize that all of my stories so far have..the exact same style in them ^_^. I'm trying my best to improve and hope to someday post an actual decent, long story. Atashi, ganbarimasu! ~Paradise Kiss 


End file.
